Prosperity Fund GLOBAL FUTURE CITIES PROGRAMME RECIFE CITY CONTEXT REPORT
Prosperity Fund GLOBAL FUTURE CITIES PROGRAMME RECIFE CITY CONTEXT REPORT December 2018 Global Future Cities Programme RECIFE City Context Report
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi 00100, Kenya www.unhabitat.org
Funded by: United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK FCO) Lead executive agency: UN-Habitat: Urban Planning and Design Lab Academic partner: International Growth Center (IGC) Professional partner: United Kingdom Built Environment Advisory Group (UKBEAG).
Disclaimer The designations employed and the presentation of material in this report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or regarding its economic system or degree of development. The analysis conclusions and recommendations of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme or its Governing Council or its member states. Reference of this publication of any specific commercial products, brand names, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by UN-Habitat or its officers, nor does such a reference constitute an endorsement of UN-Habitat.
Acknowledgments City context report coordinators (Recife): Francesco Tonnarelli, Riccardo Maroso (UN-Habitat) United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK FCO) Project Management Elizabeth Milsom São Paulo Office Matheus Ortega, Adriana Figureido United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Project Coordination Laura Petrella Project Manager Rogier van den Berg Project Supervisors Klas Groth, Naomi Hoogervorst Local City Specialist Fernando Antonio da Silva Almeida Urban Planning and Design LAB Niina Rinne, Jonathan Weaver, Sara Thabit, Gabriela Aguinaga, Dongni Niu, Riccardo Maroso, Charlotte Mohn, Ban Edilbi, Jean-Noé Landry, Katherine Cashman, Princesse Samba, Yabework Kifetew, Nadia Mourid, Yumi Neder, Stephanie Gerretsen, Shegufta Nawaz, Helen Yu, Francesco Tonnarelli Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean - Brazil and Southern Cone Alain Grimard, Rayne Ferretti, Bruna Gimba The International Growth Center (IGC) Project Coordination Astrid Haas Contributors Priya Manwaring, Victoria Delbridge, Michael Blake, Oliver Harman, Shah Rukh, Sebastian Kriticosx United Kingdom Built Environment Advisory Group (UKBEAG) Project Coordination and Strategic Advisor Peter Oborn Project Lead Adrian Mallesom Contributor and City Visiting Expert Ana Quintas CONTENTS
FUTURE CITIES PROGRAMME 4 Introduction 4 About The Global Future Cities Programme Intervention Development and Validation The City Context Report Recife 9 General context Problem statement
URBAN ANALYSIS 12 Spatial Context 12 Urban Form and Spatial Structure Current urban form Mobility System Challenges and Strategies Environment and Resilience Available Open Data Financial Context 18 Municipal Capacity Municipal Financing Mechanisms Legal Context 20 Governance Structure Alignment to Existing Plans and Policies Legal Frameworks for Data Use in Urban Planning
INTERNATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS 22 Potential Impact 22 Short-Term Outcome Mid-Term Outcome Long-Term Potential Impact Contribution to Sustainable Urban Development 24 2030 Sustainable Development Goals New Urban Agenda Alignment Alignment with Cross-Cutting Issues and the Prosperity Fund Success Factors 28 Building and Managing Data System for Urban Planning Applying Data System for Urban Planning Financial Considerations Legal Considerations
ENDNOTES 32 4 RECIFE - City Context Report
and collectively provide further evidence for the overall programme. FUTURE CITIES The Programme builds upon a coherent series of targeted interventions in 19 cities across 10 countries, PROGRAMME to support and encourage the adoption of a more sustainable approach to urban development. In general, the proposed interventions aim to challenge urban sprawl and slum developments, thereby promoting more dense, connected and inclusive cities that in combination contribute to prosperity, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and implementing the New Introduction Urban Agenda (NUA).
The Global Future Cities Programme builds upon three integrated pillars, that will address key barriers to ABOUT THE GLOBAL FUTURE CITIES PROGRAMME prosperity, in selected cities:
In 2015, the UK government created a new Cross- • Urban planning – technical assistance for Government Prosperity Fund worth £1.3 billion from spatial restructuring (Public space, Heritage 2016-2021, in order to help promote economic growth and urban renewal, Urban strategies and plans, in emerging economies. Its broad priorities include Data systems for integrated urban planning); improving the business climate, competitiveness and • Transportation – technical assistance to operation of markets, energy and financial sector support cities to develop integrated transport reform, and increasing the ability of governments to systems (Multi-modal mobility strategies and tackle corruption. plans, Data systems for multi-modal mobility); • Resilience – technical assistance to develop Emerging Economies still face considerable challenges strategies to address the impact of climate such as uncontrolled urbanisation, climate change and change and ensure development is sustainable high and persistent inequality which can lower long- (Flood management plans and systems). term growth prospects. The Prosperity Fund supports the broad-based and inclusive growth needed to In order to capitalize on the proposed interventions build prosperity and reduce poverty, but also make and to ensure sustainability and impact in a longer- development overall more sustainable through the term perspective, the programme has a strong focus on strengthening of Institutions and Improvement of the technical support and institutional capacity development. global business environment. In many of the interventions, there is a particular focus The Global Future Cities Programme (GFCP) is a specific on the potential of embedding smart/digital technology component of the Prosperity Fund which aims to carry and data analysis platforms in urban governance and out targeted interventions to encourage sustainable management processes. Integrating smart technologies urban development and increase prosperity whilst is recognized as an instrumental area that significantly alleviating high levels of urban poverty. The programme can improve the efficiency in the provision of key will also create significant short and long-term business infrastructure services, enhance urban resilience, support opportunities in growing markets, forecast to be regional evidence-based plans and strategies and promote growth hubs, including for UK exporters who are world integrated planning approaches across sectors. recognised leaders in urban innovation. INTERVENTION DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION The overall strategy of the Global Future Cities Programme is to deliver the Programme in two phases; Based on initial scoping studies and government-to- a strategic development phase (2018), followed by government engagement carried out by UK FCO, the an implementation phase (2019-2021). UN-Habitat, UN-Habitat team worked with partner local authorities in collaboration with the International Growth Centre and wider stakeholders to corroborate their city (IGC) and the UK Built Environment Advisory Group development strategies, and to confirm, enhance and (UKBEAG), has been mandated by the UK Foreign develop the intervention proposals. and Commonwealth Office (UK FCO) to develop and undertake the strategic development phase. This in In each city, a Local City Specialist, supported by the turn, will inform and shape the implementation phase, national and regional country offices of UN-Habitat INTRODUCTION 5
and in liaison with the FCO local posts, took the in a set of City Context Reports as well as an analysis of lead in identifying stakeholders in a series of bilateral the technical viability of the interventions. The analysis meetings, interviews and focal group discussions. This aimed at both informing the development of the Terms has collectively gathered information and provided of Reference and the future implementation phase of more detailed knowledge and information on the City’s the Programme. visions and goals. THE CITY CONTEXT REPORT Based on this initial phase, a Charrette (planning workshop) involved high-level decision-makers from Objectives the public and private sectors together with civil A City Context Report is provided for each city of the society representatives. This facilitated discussion on Global Future Cities Programme. It serves as a tool to the proposed and possible alternative interventions, frame the proposed Programme interventions within related individual interests, technical opportunities and the characteristics and pre-conditions of each city. constraints, as well as political objectives. The outcome of the Charrette provided clarity on where stakeholders The Report targets a variety of stakeholders in the stand in relation to the strategic potential of the Programme: administrators, city managers, policy discussed projects and it allowed for the mobilisation makers, legislators, private sector actors, donors, and of support. local as well as international researchers and knowledge generators. The Reports also provide UKFCO the At the same time, the Charrette allowed for the technical contextual setting of each proposed intervention, and teams to proceed with the development of a Terms of can in addition, be used by the Service Providers as an Reference, outlining the specific scope and activities of entry point for the implementation phase. each intervention. A final Validation Workshop assured consensus on the proposed projects and document’s By addressing the specific challenges facing each city, the endorsement by the authorities. Report illustrates how the interventions can work towards inclusive prosperity and sustainable urban development. Parallel to preparing the Terms of Reference, an The benefits of each intervention, however, cannot be evaluation of the interventions was initiated, aiming to achieved without certain enabling conditions to ensure address its feasibility within the local strategic context, its success. Therefore, critical aspects for the delivery identify potential impact on prosperity barriers and to of the proposed interventions and its success from a explore the optimal delivery models. This process resulted long-term perspective are outlined. Using thematic 6 RECIFE - City Context Report
best practices and evidence from global learnings and can either facilitate or hinder the implementation and the research, contextualised recommendations are provided long-term sustainability of the proposed interventions in on the conditions necessary for the intervention to be transport, resilience and urban planning. viable and to reach a maximum impact. This framework follows UN-Habitat’s three-pronged Essentially, the City Context Report serves to ensure that approach, recognising the three essential components all actors within the Global Futures Cities Programme for a successful and sustainable urbanisation: 1. urban are aware of the specific conditions to be considered in planning and design; 2. urban economy and municipal the delivery of the proposed interventions, on a case-by- finance; 3. urban legislation, rules and regulations. case basis. Firstly, the spatial analysis describes the existing urban Set-up and Scope context specific to the intervention. Urban mobility The first part of the City Context Report (General systems, vulnerability of the built environment, spatial Overview) provides an overview of the Global Future form and trends are considered as possible challenges in Cities Programme and introduces the city from the urban management that the intervention can address. perspective of the urban challenge which the proposed intervention intends to address. Secondly, the financial analysis aims to identify the mechanisms in place by which the intervention could The second part of the Report (Urban Analysis) more be sustainably financed in the long-run. This section critically and technically analyses a selection of factors outlines the city’s municipal capacity, existing regional, which need to be considered or to be in place for national and international financial ecosystem and the intervention to succeed, addressing its feasibility, existing financing mechanisms at the municipal level. potential impact on prosperity barriers from a long-term perspective. Thirdly, from a legal perspective, the Report critically analyses how the intervention could be facilitated or The third part of the Report (International Alignment challenged by the vision of the city and its governance and Technical Recommendations) presents short–and hierarchy. Enablers and obstacles resulting from any mid-term expected outcomes as well as long-term relevant legislation, as well as sectoral frameworks potential impacts. It further elaborates the contribution (e.g. strategies, policies, planning frameworks and of the intervention to the achievement of the SDGs and development plans, detailed plans of relevance) are also the implementation of the New Urban Agenda as well described. as the programme objectives of the Prosperity Fund. This approach aims to offer implementing partners, As the City Context Report is tailored directly to stakeholders and donors a general context of the city the Programme interventions, the analysis does not and, with it, demonstrate the appropriateness of the aim to comprehensively present all aspects of urban intervention from a spatial, financial and legal point of development. It does not elaborate on long term view, while at the same time informing about potential planning and transformation strategies, the effectiveness barriers and enablers for its implementation. of policy or urban legislation, nor the entire municipal financial system. As such, it also excludes urban policy Potential Impact to the Program Objectives and the recommendations. SDGs
However, the Report has the scope to illustrate the The Report also outlines the potential impact of the general capacity of the city for project delivery, and interventions, based on the specific activities and in this regard, make recommendations to support outputs proposed. Impact can arise from a complex implementation of the interventions and reaching set interaction of context-specific factors, rather than as goals. The City Context Reports will be part of knowledge result of a single action, which makes it difficult to management for the Programme to generate local empirically quantify longer-run effects that go beyond information and data on the cities as well as identify the identification of program outputs. An empirical, gaps in knowledge, systems or governance. comprehensive impact assessment is therefore not part of the scope of this report. Methodology Nevertheless, the report outlines potential benefits Urban Analysis that are only achievable under certain preconditions and activities. Thereby, short-, medium- and long-term The City Context Report provides a general analysis of outcomes are defined with reference to a project-cycle the spatial, financial and legal conditions in the city that approach, which considers all the project phases from INTRODUCTION 7
The City Context Reports further connect potential impacts to the Programme’s objectives, taking into account also the Cross-cutting issues at the core of UN-Habitat’s mandate from the UN General Assembly. Consequently, the Programme’s objectives are summarized into five principles:
• Climate Change; • Gender Equality; • Human Rights; • Youth; • Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth.
Cross-cutting issues are addressed with explicit reference to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda, in an attempt to ensure that the proposed interventions are in line with the design, implementation, review and success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Consistent with UN- Habitat’s mandate, the SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities is linked with the urban dimension of the other 16 goals as an essential part of the localisation of the SDGs. In this way, interventions can support localisation processes, to support local ownership and ensure SDG integration in sub-national strategies and plans.
Technical Recommendations and International Best Practices
The interventions proposed in the various cities of the Global Future Cities Programme were grouped into clusters according to their thematic entry-point, as an elaboration of the thematic pillars of Urban Planning, Transport and Resilience.
These clusters are:
• Public space • Heritage and urban renewal Planning and Design through Building, to Operating and • Urban strategies and plans Maintaining. • Data systems for integrated urban planning • Multi-modal mobility strategies and plans Short-term outcomes are directly achieved through the • Data systems for multi-modal mobility implementation of the technical assistance support, • Flood management plans and systems within the 2-3 years scope of the Global Future Cities Program. Combining the international experience in urban policy and project implementation of UN-Habitat and the Mid-term outcomes are only realised once the leading academic research of IGC, each cluster was intervention is executed through either capital analysed to offer evidence-based recommendations for investment, implementation of pilot projects or a successful Implementation and a maximised impact the actual enactment of legal documents, plans or of the intervention. Specific reference was given to masterplans, within a possible timeframe of 3 to 7 years. implemented plans and international best practices.
The broader long-term impact of the interventions The recommendations inform the Planning and Design is linked to the sustainability of the interventions in a phase which coincides with the timeframe of the Global 7-15 years timeframe and relates to the operation and Future Cities Programme, and always aim for long-term maintenance phase of the project cycle. sustainability of the interventions. 8 RECIFE - City Context Report
Fig. 1. Recife Skyscrapers’ View (Source: Francesco Tonnarelli, UN-Habitat) INTRODUCTION 9
transport and telecommunications. It is considered a Recife hub for the creative economy and is one of the most business-friendly cities in Brazil.3 Its most relevant asset GENERAL CONTEXT is ICT, in which both the city and state are investing in the strategic sector. Hundreds of technology companies Recife is a coastal city located in the northeast region and entrepreneurs are located in its business incubators of Brazil. With a population of 1.5 million inhabitants, and innovation centres and its technological park, it is the ninth largest city in Brazil.1 Recife is the major Porto Digital, has become one of the economic centres city on the Recife Metropolitan Region (RMR), which is of Pernambuco.4 This is also mirrored in the wider composed of 15 municipalities (Goiana, one of the 15 population: internet access operates at an average rate municipalities, joined the administrative region in 2018). of more than 70 per cent, with an average rate of 50 per According to the last census, RMR is the sixth-largest cent among the lowest-income population.5 urban agglomeration in Brazil and the biggest of the north and north-east region.2 Despite Recife’s strong and innovative economy, more than 40 per cent of its population is in poverty. According Recife is the capital of the State of Pernambuco and is to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics its political, financial, educational and cultural centre. (IBGE), in 2010 some 852,700 people were living in With the presence of an international airport and favelas lacking adequate infrastructure and services.6 port, Recife has a comparative economic advantage in This chaotic process of urbanisation over the years has resulted in increased exposure to floods and natural disasters, creating social and economic losses and occasional losses of life. Urban mobility is also a challenge for Recife and its metropolitan region in terms of congestion and poor quality of public transportation services.
Fig. 2. Pernambuco and Brazil State Capitals by population Fig. 3. Recife Metropolitan region 10 RECIFE - City Context Report
Fig. 4. Recife aerial view (Source: Wikipedia)
PROBLEM STATEMENT fragmented and not strategised in the kind of long-term prospective which could evolve into actions to promote The Municipality of Recife aims to be a forward-looking, social, economic and environmental sustainability. resource-efficient and integrated city that delivers quality services to its residents. However, many citizens From the municipality’s side, there is a lack of capacity still live chronic stress due to high unemployment, in dealing with these issues efficiently. Changes and poverty, crime and traffic congestion. The current new demand take place at a much faster pace than the Brazilian economic and financial context has put Recife, dynamics of public management practices can provide. along with all other sub-national capitals, in a serious Meanwhile, federal and local laws and regulations and urgent situation due to budget constraints. This has demand transparency and citizen participation on the forced the municipalities to adopt innovative approaches municipality management as positive practices against in dealing with tough control of public expenditures, corruption and administrative improbity.7 while maintaining the quality of service. Data plays a critical role in how evidence-based decisions are made From the citizens’ perspective, there is a growing demand and how evidence-based policies, strategies, plans and to gain access to free public data, government data implementation programmes are developed. scrutiny, more engagement and participation channels, evidence-based public policy making, innovation and Recife is a national leader in ICT but this has not led knowledge development push.8 to an institutionalised integration focused on effective deliveries of solutions applied to the city as a long-term cultural legacy. INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERVENTIONS
Open Data (OD), transparency and participation The action of the Global Future Cities Programme aims belong to an emerging and well-known agenda for at building a more transparent, evidence-based driven, the local government but this has been predominantly accessible and open city while tacking on innovation to addressed through punctual and isolated actions such build up an urban culture empowered by data. as transparency portals, information access portals, communication channels in social networks, open data The intervention proposed in the Terms of Reference is repositories and so on. Although some of these initiatives known as the Urban Governance Data Ecosystem (UGDE), have been nationally top-awarded, they have been which is a system of interactions between municipal INTRODUCTION 11
government and other stakeholders that exchanges, • Data Engagement Action Plan (DEA) – a produces, and consumes data for better understanding, series of initiatives such as training sessions, planning, financing, managing and living the city. coding courses, hackathons, seminars and congresses, meetings and community The objective of the UGDE is to provide an environment immersions for promoting the data literacy where data related to urban governance (urban among all the citizens of Recife at various levels planning, transport, resilience and economic analysis) are shared and used to inform key decisions around the planning for and design of a better Recife, as well as raise a better citizenry awareness on urban information.
More specifically, with the UGDE it will be possible to:
• Develop an application case study, data quality standards and matrices to improve data collection at various sources • Improve data sharing within Recife and with external partners for accurate, evidence-based strategic planning uses related to the city • Develop data models, tools and applications, techniques, capacity and systems for ongoing evidence building and analysis to support decisions linked to data
Beyond its potential as a tool for better urban governance, UGDE has been conceived as a virtual public space and citizen culture for involvement, which could achieve the following:
• Increase the capacity of the Municipality to collect, analyse and provide data • Assure data availability and consistency for Main Stakeholders government, academia, private sector and civil society to promote participation, awareness, • DGF: EMPREL; as well as opportunities for innovation and • HUB: ARIES; business • DEA: Porto Digital • Promote data literacy, information and knowledge sharing among the widest audience Possible Project Partners with an inclusive, adaptive, integrated and expansible interface and social practices • Municipality (various public offices), • Federal Universities (UFPE and UFRPE), The main interconnected outputs for the UGDE • State University (UPE), intervention are: • Private University (UNICAP) • Federal Institute (FUNDAJ) • Municipality Data Governance Framework • Local NGO’s (DGF) – to ensure that data is high quality, reliable, and unique (not duplicated), so that Thematic Cluster downstream uses in reports and databases are more trusted and accurate Data systems for integrated urban planning • Urban Knowledge Hub (HUB) – a common platform for open data sharing, connected Keywords through digital services, to deliver public services and enable the bases for the data Government accountability; Transparency; revolution into local culture Open Data; Empowerment-by-data; Open Innovation; Data literacy; Citizen participation. 12 RECIFE - City Context Report
through the purchase of land and anticipating demands and defining expansion areas with low occupancy and URBAN ANALYSIS insufficient provision of infrastructure.
Furthermore, processes of exclusion and spatial segregation began to confine the low-income population in areas of greater environmental fragility including the flood plains, the river and streams banks and the slopes of hills in the northern area of the city.
Spatial Context CURRENT URBAN FORM Recife can be divided in four categories based on their land use, morphology and particular environmental characteristics (based on hills; plains; estuaries/rivers and URBAN FORM AND SPATIAL STRUCTURE coastal/islands). With reference to Figure 6:
Historical Context A - The centre of the city, which is predominantly non- residential, is concentrated inside the first perimeter In 1537, on a hill north of the nearby colonial town of Av. Agamenon Magalhães, from where the routes that Olinda, sits the port Bairro de Recife, or Recife Antigo structure the living space depart. It has a significant (Old Recife). presence of historical and cultural patrimony, as well as unoccupied buildings. Around 1630, the Dutch established Recife as a trade centre, initiating its urbanisation with construction of B -Two vectors where the main concentrations of bridges and embankments of the mangroves which vertical residential uses lie are Boa Viagem, along the has resulted in the narrowing of the city’s rivers. The south coast, and the Capibaribe river on the west. Since expansion of the city took place predominantly on the 90s, and as maintained in the 2008 Master Plan, real landfills in tidal areas, on the coastal strips, and on the estate development has been characterised in these two inland old sugar plantations. The land structure of Recife regions by a high concentration of buildings from 20 to is still characterized by large stretches of terrenos de 30 floors. marinha or marine lands,9 which include the patchy and remnant areas of the old plantations that extend along C - A third category represents the predominance of the hills surrounding the plains of the city. horizontal single-family residential use in the plains areas where services are located in key centralities or main axes. The city gradually organised its urban structure through The only areas of medium and low population density radial connections from the initial core of the port. In involve Social Interest Communities (CIS), some already addition to creating various agglomerations, these first designated as Special Zones of Social Interest. (ZEIS). axes formed the main roads and transport routes, still compose the concentric circulation system of the city D - Large patches of precarious occupations in the hilly today. areas in the north and in the plains in the south have a predominance of residential use of medium- and low- Following Rio de Janeiro, Recife was the second Brazilian standard. They correspond to spontaneous occupations, city to operate steam trams and may have been the and Zones of Special Social Interest (ZEIS), with limited first in the world to operate steam locomotives built infrastructure and discontinuity in the fabric which to run on the streets. Yet, from the 1950s onwards, results in a lack of accessibility. following country-wide encouragement of automobiles as a political guideline and technical matrix for the Zone of Social Interest circulation of goods and people, Recife consolidated its road mobility model. This caused an expansion of the The dominant housing problem in Recife is characterised road network and the city grew rapidly without proper by the informal and precarious occupation in coordination. environmentally-fragile areas, notably in the those of permanent preservation along the rivers and canals in the As with other Brazilian cities, the public transport city (the characteristic stilts houses) beside areas at risk system conceded to private enterprise, contributing of landslides. Settlements are relatively consolidated and to disordered urban expansion along the main lines characterised by the process of expansion, densification URBAN ANALYSIS 13
Fig. 5. Land use category in Recife Fig. 6. Social Interest Communities (CIS) and Special Zones of Social Interest. (ZEIS) and verticalisation, which causes overloading of the The issues of CIS and ZEIS occupies a relevant position existing infrastructure and consequent deterioration of in the elaboration of the new Master Plan for the city. the already-precarious conditions. Questions of environmental vulnerability, access to basic service, jobs should be addressed and matched with However low-income, often informal areas are an adequate investment in infrastructure, housing and wide spread across the whole city. Practically no social facilities. neighbourhood is more than a mile from one of the city’s favelas.10 MOBILITY SYSTEM The speed of urban densification and competition over urban land in recent decades has accentuated territorial Road Network disputes, resulting in increasing tensions between real estate market agents and irregular settlement The road system is based on a radial network extending communities with long tenure histories. from the old centre (Barrio do Recife) to the wider city, intersecting perimetral routes. The municipal routes The mapping of precarious settlements was updated in serve both the structural network, receiving traffic from 2014 in order to assess socio economic vulnerabilities the regional and metropolitan area, and the inner urban and physical challenges, such as sanitary sewage, water mobility. supply, drainage, accessibility, pavement index and illumination, in a more precise fashion. “Communities Federal and state roads are mainly for the national, of Social Interest” (CIS) were identified within Recife, regional and micro-regional accessibility to Recife and which account for roughly 20 per cent of the entire its metropolitan area, reinforcing locational advantages municipal territory and 53 per cent of its population. such as important logistical, wholesale trade, services Within those can be found the pre-existent 74 Zones and tourism poles of the Northeast Region of Brazil. of Special Social Interest (ZEIS), recognised as specific action areas for the city plans and strategies, with the Public Transport System goal of protecting inhabitants of informal areas from The Public Transport System of Passengers of the the real estate speculation.11 Metropolitan Region of Recife (STPP/RMR) is managed by the Transport Consortium of the Metropolitan Region of Recife (CTM), also called the Greater Recife 14 RECIFE - City Context Report
Transport Consortium. The operation of the STPP/RMR The road system of the city extends for 2,400 km, but transportation service is carried out by a combination only 650 km are used by buses and only 32.5 km have of 13 private companies and a public company, the some kind of priority for buses. Recife has two metro Brazilian Company of Urban Trains (CBTU). The system lines, transporting 200,000 passengers per day, while is divided into two: the Integrated Structural System the bus system transports 2.2 million per day. However, (SEI); and Complementary System. this amount is decreasing, due mainly to inefficiencies of the service and the cost.14 The entire system is put The SEI is composed by Bus, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), under increasing pressure by the growing traffic and the metro and Light Rail (LRT), all under the same ticketing high level of lateral occupation for the streets, with the system. The urban structure of Recife allowed for high cost of land, hampers the possibility of augmenting the conception of a network composed by six radial the capacity of the roads to adequately accommodate corridors; two on rails, converging in the centre of public and non-motorised transport. Recife, and four perimetral ones, connecting the RMR in the north-south direction without passing through Furthermore, the hydrography of the territory and the the centre. Feeders and minor line converge at the consequent high number of bridges and the inefficient Intersections of the structural corridors and this way, the public drainage system make the network vulnerable system only requires one tariff system. to extreme climate events such as flooding and raise maintenance cost. The plans to counterbalance these The SEI cover approximately only 45 per cent of the trends are focusing on the expansion of the public metropolitan region. The remaining part Is served by the transport offer. A BRT-based solution was introduced complementary bus service, which is not integrated in in 2014 as part of the World Cup urban interventions, the ISEI and with its autonomous ticketing system. but its performance is still below the projected, lacking network completion and integration with the metro.15 At the same time, the Mobility Plan under study is CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES evaluating the possibility of expanding the rail network (metro or VLT).16 Recife has experienced a huge increase in private vehicle ownership, which almost doubled the number There is the possibility of taking advantage of the extensive of vehicles in in the past decade. This, coupled with the water network in the city for the implementation of huge traffic from the other municipalities of the RMR, an integrated passenger transport system over the causes high level of congestion. Recife was ranked as Capibaribe and Beberibe rivers. This could be connected the 8th worst traffic congestion in the world (2nd worst with the renaturalisation projects for the waterbodies of in Brazil).12 It is estimated that 43 per cent of extra time the city to fully exploit their potential as a public space is spent on congestion in Recife.13 and urban infrastructure.
Fig. 7. Recife Areal View (Source: Wikiwand) URBAN ANALYSIS 15
Fig. 8. Main transport corridor and Natural areas 16 RECIFE - City Context Report
ENVIRONMENT AND RESILIENCE
Natural Assets
Due to the increasing population density in much of the urbanized area, there is a need for planning and implementation of environmentally-viable forms of occupation of new spaces in the urban perimeter.
The current Master Plan17 contemplates specific protected units in its zoning but according to the legal description, the macrozone of the natural environment and the environmental zones encompass the protected units. This macro zoning defined by the Master Plan of the City divides the municipal territory into two macro areas: the constructed environment and the natural environment. In this, the Capibaribe, the Beberibe and the Tejipió rivers, together with a network of other minor channels, streams and ponds and water bodies have a structuring function. The recognition of this macro area beyond the necessity of mere environmental protection is the base for the construction of a blue-green network as the structuring element of the city.
The Capibaribe Park Project is the main example of Fig. 9. ZAN - Natural Environmental Areas this approach. The proposal evolved from the simple requalification of the river banks to the expansion of the to the 64.3 per cent of the distributed water.20 As a area of influence of the Park, and a proposal for a part result, while 86.7 per cent of households have access to of the future transformation of Recife into a ‘Park City’, the water network,21 many areas connected to the grid, included In the long-term vision for the city.18 especially among the poorer ones, have a deep deficit in water provision and a discontinuous access to water.22 The renaturalisation of areas of environmental sensitivity is meant to be one of the strategic actions of the future Drainage plans of the city. However, it demands definitions and studies about the social cost, concerning the relocation Recife’s low altitude in relation to the sea level, the flat of people occupying the banks of rivers and streams and areas, the shallow water table emerging in rainy seasons the elaboration of urban policies and plans that seek a and the influence of the tide levels are all natural features balance between environmental and social aspects. that make flood management and drainage challenging.
Water Management The drainage system is also hampered by the canalisation of the municipal rivers and streams and Water security in Recife is guaranteed by intensive use the encroachment of its banks by regular and irregular of the aquifers which exist along the coast, mainly the constructions, low level of soil permeability and Beberibe one. More than 2000 boreholes are present inadequate solid waste management and sanitation. for the utilization of the water table. However, excessive The introduction of irregular sanitary discharges also put exploitation can cause environmental problems, such as pressure on the capacity of the system. salinization and contamination. This is becoming more alarming with the increase in private wells and boreholes The renaturalisation of water bodies is meant to improve that became a supplementary source of water supply in the situation, increasing resilience towards climate the city. It is estimated there are 13,000 private wells change and rising sea levels. in Recife. This could become an increasingly important issue for the city, making Recife vulnerable to resource Costal Erosion and Sea Rise constraints and drought shocks.19 The Pernambuco coast is constantly adjusting to a This is further aggravated by the poor water combination of factors, both natural and anthropic, management. System loss, both for non-authorised such as changes in sea level, storms, reduction of uses and operational losses, were calculated to amount sediment supply to beaches (dams and silting in rivers URBAN ANALYSIS 17
and retention of sediments in other parts of the Coast), record and traffic violations on a yearly basis) as well as the occupation and waterproofing of the Health: 11 data sources, geographical (sanitary districts, frontal dunes and the beach, preventing the coastline public gyms and health units), semi-geographical (zika/ from retreating and remobilising the sediment stock. dengue/chikungunya cases and ambulance removals yearly) and non-geographical (vaccination calendar) The Coastal Erosion and Climatic Changes Vulnerability Education: 9 data sources, geographical (schools) and Atlas in Pernambuco23 evaluated the current vulnerability non-geographical (scholar census yearly and student as high in the stretches of Boa Viagem Beach (5 km) situation) and in Brasilia Teimosa (1,340 m), where the coastline Infrastructure: 5 data sources, including geographical undergoes erosive processes and is stabilised by means (public equipment, squares and parks and administrative of rocking to contain the sea. divisions) and non-geographical (sidewalks cadastre) Finance: 4 data sources, semi-geographical (companies’ AVAILABLE OPEN DATA description and public buildings’ description) and non- geographical (revenue and expenses) In the city, large cohorts of geographical, semi- Maintenance: 4 data sources, geographical (cemeteries), geographical (with and explicit or implicit association semi- geographical (garbage collection roadmap) and with a location) and non-geographical data are present non-geo (call for maintenance and waste weighting) but not all of them are available to the public. Tourism: 3 data sources, geo (touristic routes and hotels) and semi-geo (bars and restaurants) For example, the Municipality has published a wide Environment and employment: 3 data sources, geo range of Atlases, including spatial information and (protected trees, selective collections and employment analysis, but raw data are often accessible only with a support posts) lengthy bureaucratic procedure. Even between different Technology: 3 data sources, geographical (public Wi- levels of the administration and different departments Fi hotspots) and non-geographical (data demand and data sharing is a challenge. At the same time, much of open data mapping) information that non-public entities collect fails to find Civil defence: 2 data sources, geographical (landsliding an appropriate space to be published. When available, and flood risk areas) and non-geographical (info on risk standards and guidelines are not established. areas demand)
Nonetheless, the Municipality has made a significant Informações Geográficas do Recife – ESIG and positive move on publishing data and promoting it. (Geographic Information System for Recife – http:// Portal da Transparência www.recife.pe.gov.br/ESIG/): conceived in 2010 by the Geoprocessing Group of the Municipality as a free- (Transparency Portal – http://transparencia.recife.pe.gov. access webGIS resource platform of local data. It provides br/): conceived by Emprel (IT Municipal Company) in six territorial geodatabases (lots, streets, blocks, block 2013, provides data from 15 secretariats and 15 public faces, districts and referential grid) in multiple formats. companies and councils, involving general and detailed The urban zoning is not available for download. ESIG’s expenses, revenues, bids and contracts, civil servants platform is not integrated to the Open Data Portal nor salaries, financial statements, budgeting, detailed the Transparency Portal. data on health, education and security (newsletters, municipal plans, projects and actions). Possible Data to be Available
Portal da Dados Abertos Census data, as well as accurate land use shapefiles, building footprints and property data, environmental (Open Data Portal – http://dados.recife.pe.gov.br/): performances, traffic studies and so on are all conceived by Emprel with the collaboration of CIn- produced by the administration. Many of the plans UFPE in 2013 as a complementary initiative to the under elaboration (strategic, master and mobility) have Transparency Portal, It is a free-access website where 65 updated data which could be open to the public. The open datasets from 17 public entities can be previewed same applies for live data such as traffic, garbage truck and downloaded for free use in proper interoperability- roadmaps and CO2 emissions. driven formats, covering different themes: Possible data from private sources cover many different Transit and Mobility: 14 data sources, including app and services currently active in the city, featuring geographical (bus lanes, bicycle paths, rental bike many aspects of daily life, from transport (such as Waze) stations and semaphores), semi-geo (accidents yearly) to domestic violence and sexual harassment zones geo and non-geographical data (vehicle stream, calls, speed data such as Nina, Mete a Colher. 18 RECIFE - City Context Report
In terms of expenditures, it is worth noting that urban planning accounted in 2017 for only 9.9% of the expenditures. This is significantly lower as in other cities, which should be considered within the financial context of the city as it is most probably the direct source of funding at municipal level that alignsSpecial Revenue with the intervention.
Enterprise and Property Development
Financial Context
MUNICIPAL CAPACITY Recife does relatively well among other Brazilian U municipalities in raising local taxes, however, there is S room for improvement. Recife had a total budget in 2017 of approximately 4 billion Brazilian Real (about USD 1 billion). This translates into approximately USD Fig. 11. Recife Spending Outlay 666 per capita, which contrasts with the budget of Belo Horizonte that is about USD 1000 per capita.24
Comparing to other municipalities in Brazil, Recife has MUNICIPAL FINANCING MECHANISMS higher own source revenues. While on average, local taxes represent only 6% of revenues in the municipalities Recife has the precedent to borrow internationally. It has of Brazil,25 own source revenues in Recife constitute received a loan from World Bank for $32million for urban 35%. Still, the majority of Recife’s budget comes from development in 2007 after several years of negotiations. intergovernmental transfers (45%),26 which points to However, municipalities in Brazil face several restrictions a dependency on the central government for capital in terms of national and international borrowing expenditure. following the adoption of the Fiscal Responsibility Law (Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal e Finanças Publicas Over time, Recife has become more dependent on ‘Tax Municipais) in 2000, which imposed restriction on debt on Services’27 which is a tax levied on goods and services and spending. rather than income or profit. While the Urban Land and Property Tax remains an important source of revenue, On the PPP front, while Recife has not entered PPP, evidence suggests that these taxes are under-utilised the state in which Recife is located in, Pernambuco, Special Revenue in favour of the Tax on Services and intergovernmental has broader PPP agreements which covers Recife. In transfers.28 2013, for example, COMPESA, which provides water and sanitation in the state, delegated parts of its duties Enterprise and Property Development to private sector providers under a PPP agreement. However, in Brazil the enabling regulatory framework for PPPs is in place. Tax Income Under Federal Law (8666/93), there are detailed and
uniform procedures for procurement that should be Capital Revenue adhered to by all layers of government, including N the municipal entities. In most municipalities, there are internal control entities which are nominated by Other Income the municipalities themselves to oversee the public A procurement procedure.
Fig. 10. Recife Total Revenue (2017) URBAN ANALYSIS 19
Urban Governance Data Environment
The setting up and maintenance of the Urban Knowledge Hub (HUB) will require investment and continuous revenue streams by the city. However, while data strategies can have significant effects on the economy by increasing revenues for the city, these are difficult to measure.
In turn, there is an opportunity to work with the private sector. They will have an interest in the data itself as well as its analysis, utilisation and, ultimately generating revenue through its potential monetisation. However, in this case the city should carefully address the costs associated with engaging the private sector, taking into account the possible risks of jeopardising the project in their interest or the lack of sustainable strategies in the long run.
It is important to note that because the HUB is meant to provide for open data, the scope for monetisation will be extremely limited. In this case, user fees, such as fees for access to the data, cannot be charged because it will go against the principles of open data. However, there is space for monetisation mechanisms based on delivery of data services and processing, since the open data principles are respected.
Finally, there is the possibility of receiving national funding for the intervention or grants from international financial institutions, such as the World Bank or the Inter- American Development Bank. In this regard, the existing restrictions on national and international borrowing on Brazilian municipalities should be considered. 20 RECIFE - City Context Report
The proposed Global Future Cities Programme intervention would attempt to align local governance stakeholders in the structure for knowledge management outlined in Fig 12 below.
The public sector is represented by the Universities and the Recife Municipality (PCR) level government departments: SADGP (responsible for engaging all other secretariats on strategical projects and results delivery), CGM (responsible for ensuring control on public spending, transparency and fighting against corruption) and EMPREL (responsible for creating and maintaining Legal Context information systems). ARIES, a private and non-profit entity that is responsible for conducting the long-term plan Recife 500 Years, is also a key stakeholder.
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE ALIGNMENT TO EXISTING PLANS AND POLICIES Recife experiences today an environment of synergy between companies, government and research Technology (ICT, tech hubs and innovation) is one of institutions in the sector of ICT and data use in planning. the key drivers of policy making in Recife. Recife has a One of the main well-succeeded local cases is the local plan called Recife 500 Years, which establishes a set of technological cluster Porto Digital, that holds about 300 policies to be fulfilled by 2037, the 500-year anniversary ICT and creative economy driven companies and holds of the city. One of them is to create a 100 per cent- about 9000 jobs. All these companies are benefited connected city. Recife has a set of initiatives to achieve by local and state incentives (mostly tax reductions). this goal, including public policies on open data. However, regarding to urban development based on ICT and data, there is still a lack of a broader collaborative agenda.
Fig. 12. Federal and Municipal Governance Structure URBAN ANALYSIS 21
The Municipality of Recife (PCR) has been engaged in the process to build and review the Municipal Directory Plan and the Urban Mobility Plan. PCR is also participating in the elaboration of the Metropolitan Integrated Development Pan and Metropolitan Mobility Plan. The Municipality has plans for emission reduction and waste management, following the national regulations.
LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR DATA USE IN URBAN PLANNING
It is critical for ambitious policies to be backed by adequate legal frameworks to guide their implementation. Therefore, the following analysis of legal frameworks for using data in urban planning is relevant to consider in implementation.
Open Data
Brazil’s 2011 Information Law mandated Recife to publish public interest data such as that on municipal finances, health, education and tourism. Recife discloses this data through individual requests and also through an active ‘transparency portal’ which allows for a public access to various datasets the government has.
Data Privacy
On August 14, 2018, Brazil approved the General Data Protection Law to establish a unified legal framework for data usage across the country. The law has ‘transversal, multi-sectoral application to all sectors of the economy.’29
Data Collection, Standardization and Integration
Overall, there is limited standardisation and integration of data collected by multiple municipal departments. For example, land-use data falls under the Information Office of the Secretariat of Mobility and Urban Control, while transport data is collected and managed by CTTU. Although the Municipal Information Technology Company of Recife (EMPREL) does integrate significant amounts of data for the transparency portal, it neither owns the data, nor is it the principal objective of EMPREL, hence there are reports of lack of capacity to deal with such collection.
EMPREL integrates data by identifying the relevant data in priority areas such as health, education and finance. EMPREL extracts the data collected by other institutions, then standardises it either in a csv or geojson format. 30 This data is then published on the portal. Despite the general lack of standardisation, a notable exception is the GIS data where there is considerable integration of GIS database and urban licensing mechanism, which allows the database to be updated with the new building information when the licence is issued. 22 RECIFE - City Context Report
INTERNATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Potential Impact
The potential impact analysis outlines the main benefits Moreover, through the Data Science Platform (included that can be potentially attained through the Global in the Data Governance Framework), the Municipality Future Cities Programme in Recife, under the assumption has the potential to identify and develop specific data- of short-, medium- and long-term work. Nevertheless, as based innovative projects to address urgent urban issues. impact can arise from a complex interaction of context- This possibility can lead to a monitor and assessment specific factors, rather than as result of a single action, process of the intervention in all its components so to an empiric impact assessment is out of the scope of this evaluate the achieved results after a short timeframe. report. Better data availability (Urban Knowledge Hub) and The short-term work refers to the outcomes that can be analysis capacity will bring in the increased efficiency achieved through the implementation of the technical in prioritizing strategies and tools for decision-making, assistance support within the 2-3 year scope of the since a new data-based participatory tool will be Global Future Cities Programme. Mid-term outcomes are available. The improved accessibility to statistics on only achievable once the intervention is executed at the demographic, economic, environmental and social issue city level either through capital investments or the legal will in fact allow an evidence-based decision process. The validation of key polices and plans. Long-term impact intervention (Data Engagement Action Plan) promotes of the interventions is linked to the sustainability of the also a strong attention to the collection of data related interventions in a 7-15 year timeframe and is related to to the most vulnerable society groups as women and the project cycle phase of operation and maintenance. low-income communities, also through the direct contribution of NGOs or communities’ associations and communitarian inclusion. SHORT-TERM OUTCOME Finally, the integration of these different data will In the short term, the 2-3 years of the Global Future Cities also promote a better coordination and cooperation Programme’s implementation in Recife will positively between different municipal departments and levels impact the municipal technical and managerial capacity of government that will have the possibilities to more whilst increase citizens’ inclusion in plans development easily analyse and compare data, plans and strategies and decision-making processes. of different departments, as well as enable the private sector to be more effectively engaged and participant, The intervention has the potential to provide to citizens, thanks to the availability of more and better data. both from the public and the private sphere, the instruments (Urban Knowledge Hub) and the capacity (Data Engagement Action Plan) to access, visualise, asses MID-TERM OUTCOME and share the information related to urban governance. On one side the transparency and accountability of the In the mid-term the intervention will strengthen municipality will increase (Data Governance Framework), the data governance of the city (Data Governance on the other the direct and indirect contribution of Framework), enabling the capacity to produce, process several society groups will be promoted. and cross data from different sources, both from INTERNATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS 23
public and private contribution. These will lead to a The intervention in this sense aims to enhance and progressive improvement of the land management and promote professional and cultural data-related administration system towards a more sustainable and environment toward a sustainable urban and social resilient urban development. development of Recife.
Through the Data Engagement Action Plan, the public engagement and capacity building processes in data- related topics, together with a regulated and legal and managerial framework, will increase the creation of job opportunities and the possibility to access professional occupations related to the emergent ICT fields. This potential impact will benefit mainly groups that currently have limited access to education or professional and vocational training such as low-income communities, the youth and women.
LONG-TERM POTENTIAL IMPACT
The long-term impact of the intervention concerns a broad range of urban and social issues and represents the frame where the development of the Data Governance Framework, combined with the Urban Knowledge Hub and the Data Engagement Plan, expresses its potential.
The increased evidence-based awareness and the improved administrative control of urban, social and environmental data will allow for a more efficient and sustainable financial urban management. The intervention has the potential to improve the city’s capacity to optimise and reduce public expenses and to strengthen municipal finances and increased municipal capacity for revenue.
The possibility of accessing and comparing data regarding related to urban, transport and natural environment can lead to monitoring the current city plans and to improving their quality for the future city strategy. The land use of the city can be optimised towards a mixed use and efficient urban expansion, where the provision and distribution of basic services is based on a clear knowledge of the urban inequalities.
The city will have improved tools to provide more secure, safe, and accessible public transport, particularly for women and the elderly, and a more diffused mobility service for low-income groups and peri-urban areas. The better management of the transport system can then reduce the traffic congestion and reduce air pollution.
The intervention has the potential to lead towards better planning and increased monitoring and capacity for forecasting environmental risks. In the city of Recife these components have a key role in the reduction of pollution levels and greenhouse gas emissions and also in the management of growing threats related to climate change such as flood and coastal erosion. 24 RECIFE - City Context Report
ENHANCED ACCESS TO INFORMATION
The Data Engagement Action Plan can also significantly increase access to information and communications technology (SGG 9.c) and “promote development- oriented policies that support productive activities, of ICT related job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, Contribution to Sustainable including through access to financial services”(SDG 8.3). Urban Development
2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
The Global Future Cities Programme aims to contribute IMPROVED ACCESS TO the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable PUBLIC TRANSPORT Development, whilst mobilising efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change In the long-term future an evidence-based urban and ensuring that no one is left behind. governance can improve the condition of such public services as transport system (SDG 11.2) and public spaces (SDG 11.7), making them more accessible, safe and affordable for all, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations and women, children and persons with disabilities. INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION
The Urban Governance Data-Ecosystem will enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization through a responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative INCREASED RESILIENCE decision making at all levels (SDG 16.7). The participatory process and the community involvement in several Finally, the intervention’s objectives are also aligned sectors of public life will allow a stronger monitoring to the goal of promoting a more environmentally- and evaluation process on the public administration, sustainable urban development and develop the leading to the establishment of more accountable and integration of climate change measures into national transparent institutions at all levels (SDG 16.6). policies, strategies and planning (SDG 13.2). The Urban Governance Data Ecosystem implementation would allow better monitoring, report and forecast processes of climate events that need to be faced with an effective climate change-related planning and management STRENGTHENED CITY (13.b). POLICIES
Moreover, the Data Governance Framework and the Urban Knowledge Hub will “increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts” (SDG 17.8). This data use will lead to an improvement and strength city policies to “enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels” (SDG 5.c). INTERNATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS 25
NEW URBAN AGENDA ALIGNMENT ICT environment can support the implementation and design of tools for fostering inclusive local economic At the United Nations Conference on Housing and development such as job creation, entrepreneurship and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, microfinance (AFINUA key item 4.4). Ecuador 2016, the New Urban Agenda (NUA) was adopted. This Agenda details how cities should be planned and managed to achieve sustainable urbanization. ALIGNMENT WITH CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND THE PROSPERITY FUND The New Urban Agenda encourages UN-Habitat, Member states, local authorities, and others to The Global Future Cities Programme seeks to achieve collaboratively generate evidence-based and practical higher rates of sustainable and inclusive growth while guidance for implementing the urban dimension of the increasing long-term investments in sustainable urban SDGs. projects. Moreover, it will provide greater awareness, capability and confidence while establishing regulatory UN-Habitat’s draft Action Framework for Implementation frameworks resulting in higher incentives for partnerships of the New Urban Agenda (AFINUA) is organized under and financial mechanisms. five categories: • national urban policies The four Cross-Cutting Issues of UN-Habitat, as identified • urban legislation, rules and regulations in the Strategic Plan 2014-2019, are mainstreamed to • urban planning and design ensure that all UN-Habitat work targets those with the • urban economy and municipal finance most need and promotes socially- and environmentally- • local implementation sustainable cities.31 In this regard, the interventions detailed for Recife are shaped under the mainstreaming The Programme’s intervention/s align to the AFINUA in of environmental safeguards for youth, gender equality the following ways: and human rights.
The intervention in Recife will lead to set up under a The implementation of the Urban Governance Data planning and design process that is evidence-based and Ecosystem in Recife is strongly aligned with the participatory (AFINUA key item 3.1) and will contribute Programme’s objective; it focuses on the engagement to establishing and supporting community-led groups of all society groups, with a particular attention to the that bridge the citizens and government (AFINUA key most vulnerable who are defined as the youth, women item 5.6). and low-income communities.
The intervention will help to the design and the These are groups that nowadays have the most limited implement systems that ensure social, economic and access to information, are less involved in the public safe physical access to quality basic services by all decision-making process and are in most need of (AFINUA key item 4.5). This should go along with the education and professional and vocational training. The provision of integrated, efficient and equitable urban intervention aims to provide these services and enlarge service frameworks, particularly in unplanned, built the range of the beneficiaries and to involve them in a urban areas (AFINUA key item 5.4). process of cultural and professional engagement in the growing ICT environment and smart economy. Coordination and cooperation between different institutions and levels of government during the Global The generation and publication of disaggregated data Future Cities Programme in Refice will promote two focused on gender-sensitive issues and demographic AFINUA key items: the alignment between national and economic trends represents key steps to enabling and sectoral development plans and policies at all and encouraging the municipality in developing policies, territorial levels (AFINUA key item 1.4) and jurisdictional programmes and plans aligned with the necessities of coordination and coherence (AFINUA key item 1.6). the most vulnerable in society. These processes can lead to the development of a safe and lively urban Moreover, with the improved involvement of the environment while promoting a proactive participation citizens, along with a comprehensive access to the of these groups to the public life thanks to the improved municipality data, the intervention can support local access to information and to interactive and open authorities to design and implement a more inclusive, communication tools such as virtual communities. sustainable and equitable local financial and economic framework to operationalise municipal finance principles (AFINUA key item 4.2). At the same time, the capacity- building and engagement programmes related to the 26 RECIFE - City Context Report
Furthermore, the intervention promotes the participation of all society levels through a more organised and comprehensive collection of environmental data and in the access and comparison of current and future plans related to climate change and environmental issues.
A stronger involvement of the public authorities together with local communities has the potential to enable a more effective process of monitoring and reporting environmental and climate change dynamics and to provide the Municipality with innovative and inclusive tools to forecast risks and to propose strategies and solutions to guarantee environmentally-sustainable urban development.
The following statements are considered as evidenced success factors, based on international best practices, for the interventions in Recife to achieve maximum impact in line with the Goals, the Prosperity Fund and the cross- cutting issues. Success factors are divided into spatial, financial and legal and aim to address potential barriers to the long-term sustainability of the interventions.
Fig. 13. Recife’s Urban Fabric (Source: Gustavo Penteado, Flickr) INTERNATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS 27
Programme b ectives and SD lignment e Urban genda Cross cutting issues Potential enefit Climate c ange ender e ualit Long term
S ort term LS R S FI U I uman Rig ts out Sustainable and edium erm edium inclusive economic gro t Increased citi en participation in assessing and developing municipal plans and decision ma ing ender e ualit uman Rig ts out processes Increased local capacit for evaluating and monitoring Climate c ange ender e ualit uman Rig ts t e impact of urban plans policies and strategies out Increased capacit to prioriti e strategies and improved tools for decision ma ing based on informed Climate c ange ender e ualit uman Rig ts a demograp ic economic cultural environmental and out Sustainable and inclusive economic gro t ot er olistic pro ections etter overnance Integrated anagement of cities Climate c ange uman Rig ts Sustainable and including better coordination and cooperation bet een inclusive economic gro t different levels of government
Improved last mile connectivit and increased access to c ender e ualit information and communications tec nolog
Integrated gender e ualit approac in policies c ender e ualit strategies and plans Integrated plans frame or s and approac es to promote more sustainable resilient and sociall ender e ualit uman Rig ts out inclusive cities Increased creation of ob opportunities particularl for ender e ualit uman Rig ts out omen out and disadvantaged groups Sustainable and inclusive economic gro t
Increased abilit to better plan inclusive economic Climate c ange uman Rig ts out gro t in a sustainable climate smart manner Sustainable and inclusive economic gro t
stablis ed land management s stems including fit for purpose planning tools and land administration for t e Climate c ange ender e ualit uman Rig ts a sustainable deliver of all ot er elements of t e urban out Sustainable and inclusive economic gro t fabric
Implemented urban plans for creating sustainable ender e ualit out Sustainable and inclusive densit and mixed use to attain t e economies of economic gro t aglomeration and promote urban vibranc
Increased efficienc ualit and reliabilit of public Climate c ange uman Rig ts Sustainable and infrastructure and basic services inclusive economic gro t
Strengt ened municipal finances and increased Sustainable and inclusive economic gro t municipal capacit for renevenue generation ig er rates of sustainable and inclusive economic a gro t greater investments flo s greater trade Sustainable and inclusive economic gro t flo s Increased mobilit and accessibilit for poor omen ender e ualit uman Rig ts out and men and ot er marginalised groups
ore secure safe and accessible public transport ender e ualit uman Rig ts out particularl for omen and elder Reduction in traffic congestion and in air pollutant Climate c ange emissions etter Planning for anaging t e impacts of climate b Climate c ange c ange n anced monitoring of environmental ris s and Climate c ange increased capabilit for forecasting
Fig. 14. Potential Impact and Programme Objectives Alignment 28 RECIFE - City Context Report
geographic information (VGI) and other crowdsourced data can be a valuable source of planning information that is sensitive to the local context34 and inexpensive to collect.
However, it may be difficult to assess the quality and accuracy of crowdsourced information as the identity, expertise and motivation of a contributor often remains unknown. Platforms that incorporate VGI, such as OpenStreetMap,35 may in part rely on the assumption that inaccurate data will be flagged or corrected when there is a large enough crowd engaged in contributing Success Factors content. The PetaBencana.id example36 exemplifies how crowdsourced data can be used to monitor flood conditions in real time.
BUILDING AND MANAGING DATA SYSTEM FOR URBAN Data Quality Assessment and Data Standards PLANNING Data quality assessment is an integral component of a Establish Planning Needs and Identify the data system. Policies and approaches should be developed Associated Data Requirements to address issues such as completeness, uncertainty, and measurement error. The Municipality Data Governance A clear definition of planning problems and objectives Framework (DGF) component of the intervention will facilitate the scoping of an intervention and inform will include a detailed set of recommendations for future data collection efforts. It will identify the datasets conducting data quality assessments. that correspond to the planning activities and objectives. Datasets that are relevant for planning may include Datasets will have to be updated when necessary land use,32 disaggregated on population characteristics, to ensure relevance and accuracy. The inclusion of cadastral and physical geography. metadata is also critical in informing conclusions regarding the quality of a dataset. Relevant metadata Engage in Efficient Data Collection Procedures includes information such as data sources, date of data collection and data collection methodology. Data collection can be shaped by planning objectives. To avoid duplicating datasets and wasting data At the same time, the municipality of Recife will have collection resources, it is crucial to search for existing to appoint a data custodian responsible for managing relevant datasets that may have been gathered by datasets throughout all phases of the data lifecycle. other organisations and explore partnerships with other This includes activities such as creating, maintaining, institutions. Urban data centres in the Netherlands, for and enforcing data standards and ensuring the example, are supported through a partnership with the availability and quality of datasets. Best practices in national statistics institution (CBS) to gain access to a data management should be formalised as well under wide range of existing datasets.33 the DGF. Such policies and guidelines may include topics such as data security procedures, data access and Consider Balancing Authoritative Datasets With appropriate disposal of data. Information That Reflects Local Perspectives Policies, Protocols and Data Standards for Data A focus solely on authoritative, government-generated Sharing data, such as that from Census surveys, may result in a top-down approach that disregards local perspectives. The UGDE will likely involve coordination and data Information generated by citizens, or in direct sharing between a variety of government departments. consultation with citizens, should also be included in the It is important that policies and protocols for data planning process. sharing are in place, which must comply with relevant data protection and privacy laws. Such policies can, for While traditional methods of public consultation example, cover privacy and security considerations, and continue to play an important role in planning processes, outline clear responsibilities for data ownership. The planners are looking to incorporate newer types of development of protocols and policies for data sharing public engagement, which are made possible through can also be an opportunity to adopt data standards and data systems and technology. For example, volunteered create protocols for data quality monitoring. INTERNATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS 29
The Municipality Data Governance Framework The INSPIRE Directive, for example, enables component of the intervention is directed at this aim. environmental data sharing throughout the EU by outlining a set of data standards across 34 spatial data The adoption of data standards can also promote the themes. This cross-boundary data sharing initiative interoperability of datasets, allowing for data from a has assisted in environmental policy-making efforts variety of sources to be combined and compared. The by making data more accessible. Indonesia’s One Map adoption of standards can also facilitate data sharing policy also illustrates how the centralised management between departments and institutions. Types of data of geospatial data at a national level can resolve issues standards may include those that govern metadata, such as overlapping land claims. specification of character formats, predefined vocabularies, and file formats (Sieber and Bloom, The Data Engagement Action Plan (DEA) component of 2018). Standardised data can also be used by software the intervention proposed in Recife is meant to cover developers to create apps. this fundamental aspect.
For example, the adoption of GTFS (general transit feed APPLYING DATA SYSTEM FOR URBAN PLANNING specification) by many transit operators around the world has led to the creation of transit apps (such as the Adapt the Data Systems and Their use to the Transit App)37 that combine multiple sources of transit Planning Context schedules around the world. Open 51138 and GTFS39 are examples of existing data standards for road event data Consider how data can be translated into useful and transit data, respectively. planning information. Analysis techniques may include data layering, visualisation, exploring relationships Moreover, the Open Data Standards Directory40 provides between datasets, computational models and big data detailed information on existing data standards for data analysis. Information from data analysis may be used from categories such as crime, expenses and election to understand the local context, make predictions or results. projections of future growth, develop spatial strategies and visions and more. Ensure Representativeness in Datasets Build and Formalize Practices for Integrating Data Where appropriate, data collection efforts should be Analysis Into Decision-making Processes evenly distributed across geographic and socioeconomic communities. Communities that are not represented Data systems may be applied to measure the impact in data may be excluded from policy and planning of previous plans and policies, which can inform decisions, potentially exacerbating existing social divides. the making of an urban plans. It is important in that sense to consider how the information obtained from The Urban Knowledge Hub component of the data analysis will inform and support urban planning intervention partly covers this need, offering a platform decision-making. for involving the wider possible audience in the sharing and active use of data. At the same time, digital technology creates the opportunity for new approaches to public engagement Develop a Strategy for Digital Inclusion in urban planning. Online apps and tools can facilitate two-way communication between citizens and municipal Citizens who lack access to digital services may be government. This could raise awareness on local urban excluded from planning processes, and are put at a development plans while also making prominent critical disadvantage when it comes to accessing the city and issues regarding gender and vulnerable groups, violence its services. and sharing local knowledge among citizens.
Research on the digital divide indicates that individuals Capacity Building who lack basic digital skills, network connections and usage opportunities may not be able to benefit from It is important to develop human capacities and city services or information which are delivered through quantitative skills within planning professionals to match digital platforms such as a municipality’s open data investments to data technology. This ensures that the portal. For instance, the Smart Cities for All initiative information contained in a dataset can be turned into works towards building inclusive smart cities and actual benefits for users and operators. While specific promotes digital urban interventions that are accessible capacity needs will vary with each case, a baseline level to elderly and disabled populations.41 of digital literacy for urban planning staff is necessary to ensure effective application of data systems. 30 RECIFE - City Context Report
Capacity-building efforts are included in the DGF as well Regarding the private sector, open data policies can as in the DEA. Necessary skills may include geospatial avoid the creation of monopolies through which the analysis, computer programming, statistics and public sector can only contract the service provider that database management. The Rio Operations Centre42 has access to the information. is a successful Brazilian example of how partnership with a technology company can build local capacity for Privacy Law embedding a large-scale data system in a city. Brazil has recently approved a comprehensive data privacy regulation. This is an essential step for the use of FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS any data-related project as it ensures that the collection of data is not used for purposes of which citizens are Private sector engagement not aware. Moreover, the law regulates the balance between opportunities for private companies to profit Besides the investment dedicated for the intervention, while maintaining citizens’ rights. operation and maintenance within the project cycle are fundamental phases and will require funds.
Private sector involvement can be a sustainable way to operate the UGDE. Recife is a national leader in ICT and its community, integrated in the Urban Governance Data Ecosystem, could not only profit from the intervention but also provide significant gains:
• Systems and technological solutions could be expanded and kept up to date • Significant cross-learning could be triggered between private enterprises and start up and the city government
The open nature of the UGDE, supported by the necessary policies, should provide enough guarantees to maintain the services beneficial for all, while not privileging private individual interests. Greater analytical and managerial capacity could be provided, as well as a push towards efficiency.
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS
Open Data Policies
Open data policies and regulations are essential to ensure that the data is shared and interoperable by different operators and agencies. This is a necessary condition to maximise all the potential gains of the intervention in promoting integrated urban and transport planning.
Additionally, open data policies could allow the use of data by entrepreneurs for new innovative projects, which could enhance small- and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, open data policies are essential to ensure transparency and allow citizens to monitor the performance of the transport system and hold the city government accountable.
INTERNATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS 31 32 RECIFE - City Context Report
ENDNOTES
1 IBGE, Brazilian Census, 2010. de Vulnerabilidade Erosäo Costeira e Mudanqas Climaticas em 2 Ibid 1. Pernambuco, 2015. 3 UN-Habitat, Challenge-based innovation report, 2018. 24 Based on a population of 1.5 million. 4 OECD, Development Centre Studies Start-up Latin America 25 B. Braga, D. Guillén, B. Thompson, Local government spending Promoting Innovation in the Region: Promoting Innovation in and employment in Brazil: evidence from a natural regression the Region, 2013. discontinuity. Mimeo, 2015. 5 “Pesquisa indica que 69% dos moradores do Recife usam a in- 26 http://transparencia.recife.pe.gov.br/uploads/pdf/ITEM%20 ternet”, 2015,